A Special Day (1977) Una giornata particolare (original title)

Director:

Ettore Scola

Writers:

Maurizio Costanzo (collaboration)
Ruggero Maccari (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

October 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | War

Plot:

The film is set during the late 1930s: the occasion is the first meeting between Mussolini and Hitler...

Plot Keywords:

Neighbor | Mussolini | Friendship | Homosexual | 1930s

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Sophia Loren	...	Antonietta
Marcello Mastroianni	...	Gabriele
John Vernon	...	Emanuele, the husband of Antonietta
Françoise Berd	...	Caretaker
Patrizia Basso	...	Romana
Tiziano De Persio	...	Arnaldo
Maurizio Di Paolantonio	...	Fabio
Antonio Garibaldi	...	Littorio
Vittorio Guerrieri	...	Umberto
Alessandra Mussolini	...	Maria Luisa
Nicole Magny	...	Officer's Daughter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Adolf Hitler	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Benito Mussolini	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)

Directed by
Ettore Scola

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Maurizio Costanzo		collaboration
Ruggero Maccari		screenplay
Ettore Scola		screenplay

Produced by
Carlo Ponti	....	producer

Original Music by
Armando Trovajoli		(as Armando Trovaioli)

Cinematography by
Pasqualino De Santis

Film Editing by
Raimondo Crociani

Production Design by
Luciano Ricceri

Set Decoration by
Luciano Ricceri

Costume Design by
Enrico Sabbatini

Makeup Department
Franco Freda	....	makeup artist
Ada Palombi	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Maurizio Anticoli	....	production supervisor
Giorgio Scotton	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Silvio Ferri	....	assistant director
Marco Pettini	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ezio Di Monte	....	assistant production designer

Sound Department
Luciano Anzellotti	....	sound effects
Franco Bassi	....	sound mixer
Cesare D'Amico	....	dialogue editor
Alvaro Orsini	....	boom operator
Carlo Palmieri	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Aldo Colanzi	....	key grip
Luciano Leoni	....	gaffer
Marcello Mastrogirolamo	....	assistant camera
Idelmo Simonelli	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Berta Betti	....	seamstress
Giuseppina Delli Carpini	....	seamstress
Giovanni Viti	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Graziella Di Giovanni	....	assistant editor
Nicola Tocci	....	color technician
Pina Triunveri	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Vivien Boden	....	production secretary
Sergio Bologna	....	administrator
Gianfranco Lelj	....	photographic services
Ilde Muscio	....	script supervisor
Paola Scola	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Compagnia Cinematografica Champion
• Canafox (co-production)

Distributors

• Cinema 5 Distributing (1977) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Columbia Pictures Home Video (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Italia (2003) (Italy) (DVD) (special edition)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2004) (Greece) (TV)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Cinestar Filmverleih (1981) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• Reserva Especial (Brazil) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Una giornata particolare" - Italy (original title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Italy | Canada

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Argentina:18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Orvieto, Terni, Umbria, Italy

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Hitler's address, heard in the background, is not from his visit to Rome but from the 1934 Nuremberg Party Meeting, more particularly from his address to the German Youth on the third day. He's heard summoning them to be "strong and peaceful", "courageous and peace-loving".

Quotes:

Gabriele:Order is the virtue of the mediocrity.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: Episode #1.5" (1988)

Beautiful film about being human

I too was quite astonished to see how few people had voted on this film, and just HAD to write something about it, although my comments are quite similar to those written already.

I like many things about the film. The superb acting between Mastroianni & Loren. The way the film is narrated: Humanity and love slowly developing between these two outsiders, and contrasted to the simultaneously & continuously ongoing inhumane marching pace of the fascist radio announcer (who happens to be a colleague of Mastroianni's part)and the adherents "going to and coming from the show". To me this is a very fine film about what it is to be human. Maybe some of you would argue that the anti-fascist "message" is too clearly delivered, but to me this didn't destroy the film in any way. My vote is 10/10.